QB's Quickies

"So, read any good books lately?"
"What did you think of...?"

Here's the Quickie answers to those questions. Click on the Links for more info.


Mark Del Franco - Unshapely Things

Category: M&Ms - a bit lighter and/or not quite as satisfying as Peanut M&Ms, but still Oh-So-Enjoyable! (B,B-,C+,C)
Flame Height: 1” out of 9”

I tend to not buy books written by men. I just prefer a woman’s voice. Sexist, but there you have it. There ARE a few exceptions, like Sean Michael, though. And I do prefer a bit o’ spice in my books. But I was intrigued by the premise of this Urban Fantasy and then I started seeing a lot of buzz about it and decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did. This was a fast paced, absorbing story that I couldn’t put down! Great world building, interesting characters, and I LIKE Conner Grey. No romance, no spice, but a solid start to what I assume will be a series.
Piquant Opine: RT, SFreviews

Katie MacAlister - The Last of the Red Hot Vampires

Category: M&Ms - a bit lighter and/or not quite as satisfying as Peanut M&Ms, but still Oh-So-Enjoyable! (B,B-,C+,C)
Flame Height: 5” out of 9”

Katie Mac has a permanent place on my auto-buy list. This wasn’t my favorite of Katie’s books, but it was still a fun, sexy romp. I DO hope, however, that she has plans to visit the Court of Divine Blood again in future books. And it was just flat out EBIL to leave us wondering who the sovereign was!
Piquant Opine: RT, AAR

Alexandra Ivy - When Darkness Comes - Guardians of Eternity Trilogy: Book 1

Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. Most books fall in this category. (A-,B+,B)
Flame Height: 6” out of 9”

I really liked this one! Funny, sexy, fast paced and DIFFERENT! Abby and Dante are just so damn LIKEABLE! I’m REALLY looking forward to the sequel with Viper and Shalott.
Piquant Opine: RJ, RT


Raven Hart - Savannah Vampire series
1. The Vampire’s Seduction
2. The Vampire’s Secret

Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. Most books fall in this category. (A-,B+,B)
Flame Height: 5” out of 9”

I picked The Vampire’s Secret up at Walden’s "on spec.” And, of course, never checked to see if it was a sequel- WHEN WILL I LEARN?! I probably missed some character development, but was able to figure out the gist of the main events in The Vampire’s Seduction. I’m going to add it to my Constant Cravings list anyway.

This book is different! William is a wealthy Savannah Gentleman. But his minions aren’t the suave, seductive vamps we’re used to reading about! His newly turned mate, Eleanor, is a successful madam; Jack is a Nascar-loving, horn dog mechanic who is constantly worried whether he has his sire‘s approval; Melaphia is a human voodoo priestess with a young daughter, Renee; and Werm is… well... Werm.

The book is written in first person POV, but that POV changes, often from scene to scene. Fortunately, each POV shift is titled with a character name and Raven includes identifying dialogue that keeps the reader from getting too confused. It’s a technique that could have been a muddied mess, but Raven mostly pulls it off.

There is some heavy-duty world building and plotting in here, but Raven offsets it with unexpected (for a vamp book) colloquialisms and humor that make this an entertaining read. I dog-eared a few of my favorites:

From Jack: “…it might be good to get…[the] blood off her hands. Licking seemed out of the question.”

From Jack: “I couldn’t believe how patient William was being. On the rare instances when I sassed him as a fledgling, he opened a can of whup-ass on me until I learned my place. I knew what had caused his leniency. He’d gone all ‘love is in the air’ because of Eleanor.”

This next one is one of the greatest lines from any book EVAH…
From William: “She was slick with desire. I was hard with bad intention.” LMFAO - that one gets a snort from me every time I read it.
Piquant Opine: RT, AAR